


Light Behind Your Eyes

by orphan_account



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, FAHC, Fake AH Crew, Flashbacks, M/M, Matt Focused, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:49:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22602751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Jeremy and Michael get shot during a heist, sending the crew spiraling downward, as Matt remembers the journey he's gone through in the crew, coping with the fear he feels.
Relationships: Gavin Free/Lindsay Tuggey Jones/Michael Jones, Matt Bragg/Jeremy Dooley/Ryan Haywood
Comments: 3
Kudos: 40





	1. Set Up

Matt has plenty of jobs from hacker to drug runner but one of the skills Matt has honed over the years was being a driver.

Unlike anyone else, Matt could drive in any conditions expertly, he was their trusted getaway driver in conjunction with Jack, and Matt had never messed up a pickup.

Until now.

The bank heist was going great, all things considered, no hiccups, Matt was lying in wait for the perfect moment to pick up Jeremy and Michael.

Matt was anxious, he always was no matter his skill, he wanted to pick them up and get them the hell out of town, he tapped on the steering wheel waiting for Jack’s signal.

His comm came to life “Bragg-you ready?”

Matt replied “You got it.”

Matt’s engine came to life, the sleek black car purred, and no quicker, several masked men came out of the shadows of the alley. How the fuck had Matt not seen them?

“Shit-Patt-Jack we have a problem!”

“Huh? Me too-fuck!”

In an instant Matt’s fight or flight kicked in, the men were aiming at his windshield and Matt gunned it without hesitation, speeding over two of the men.

“I’ll be there soon, I’ll be there soon-“

Matt was looking anxiously, speeding towards the bank far over any legal limit, his heart was pounding, his vision swirling, this was the worst case that could happen on a heist like this-who the fuck were those guys and what did they want-

Matt was getting closer to the bank, his driving became more erratic, Matt needed to get there in time.

He sped to the front of the bank, just as Jeremy and Michael pushed their way out, he went to yell, screaming at the duo to get into the car.

There were two shots.

They came from up high, shots that sent civilians and cops running alike. Matt looked silent in horror.

It was Michael and Jeremy crumpled on the cement.

The comms were wild, screaming and shouting in horror, Matt got out of the car, every impulse in his brain ignoring the risk of getting shot. He had to get to them.

_ He had to get to Jeremy. _

Lindsay and Ryan weren’t too far behind, they were on distractions, explosions were a choice. Matt registered the duo by the smell of smoke, Ryan and Matt locked eyes, unadulterated fear and anxiety shook both of them, Lindsay spoke calmly, a beacon in the darkness.

“We need to get them into the car.”

Matt and Ryan nodded, Ryan took hold of Jeremy, cradling him carefully, Matt stared at the conjoined pile of blood seeping into the stone as he helped Lindsay pick up Micheal.

The two were loaded in, Ryan spoke quietly,

“Matt-stay back there with them, you have medical knowledge.”

Matt nodded, a part of his brain felt even more anxious, out of everyone in the field crew, he did know a good bit, from years of patching up Jeremy after fights and shootouts, you DIY and teach yourself almost everything. What felt worse, however, was that the two with even more experience than him were the ones bleeding out. 

The trio got into the car, Lindsay gripped her thighs, Ryan took the wheel, and Matt got to work as the sped away into the secluded safe house the crew had planned prior. 

Jeremy’s pulse was weak, Michael was getting paler and paler, the stench of smoke and blood was making Matt sick, Ryan gripped the wheel harder as he pressed the gas more and more, Lindsay was blank faced, breathing slow. 

Matt did his best, he did, his Jacket was around Jeremy’s leg, putting pressure on the wound, he tried to cushion Michael’s back where the shot went through the best he could. They made it to the penthouse, and no sooner than they pulled up Sarah was rushing out with the support crew to take over, getting the injured duo inside the makeshift hospital in the back of the warehouse.

Jack, Geoff, and Gavin weren’t far behind, Gavin was screaming wildly, angrily, wanting to know how this happened. Geoff was silent, his body letting off anger just from his presence. Jack was shaking wildly, her shoulder, as Matt looked closer, was wrapped up, evident blood patterns show she was shot cleanly.

Lindsay walked out of the car, she looked at Gavin, her blank expression melted as she got closer to the man, mouth wobbling, cheeks stained like blotchy red watercolor, tears leaking down her face. She reached for Gavin, and no sooner his yelling stops, and they collapse in each others arms. 

Ryan got out of the car, his hands, darkened from explosives, shook wildly, his chest moved quickly, and Matt went to move in closer. Ryan backed away, his hands shaking as he ripped his mask off, throwing his mask to the floor. His voice cracks as he speaks,

“We were set up, weren’t we?”

Matt walks slowly, getting closer to Ryan to attempt to comfort the man. Geoff nods, the grimace on his face setting the tone further.

“We were set up.”


	2. Reflection

The wait was killing all of them, Michael and Jeremy were whisked into surgery by the support team, Geoff and Jack were working still, attempting to figure just who the hell set them up. 

Sitting in awkward chairs made the process uncomfortable, Lindsay and Gavin sat close, holding each other, Fiona joined them soon after with the hope to provide some support as well, but her cheeks were just as tear stained as everyone else's.

Matt and Ryan were next to each other, Matt was still without his jacket, now likely discarded as a piece of medical waste covered in his boyfriend’s blood. Ryan was bloody, his body still reeked of smoke, his jacket was wrapped around him. Ryan looked small. 

Matt thought about Jeremy, of course he thought about Jeremy, the way they met, how Matt decided to jump into his business by pulling over to Jeremy’s old dead car, how they held knives to each other’s throats, how they came to respect each other. Matt smiled, he missed that van, the one he and Jeremy rode across the country in, it smelled like cat, Jeremy’s strong cologne, and Matt’s air fresheners he insisted on buying.

Matt had known Jeremy for 4 years, before they got together, six months on the road, a year and a half working as the independent Axial and Jerem, two years in the crew. And now Jeremy was fighting for his life in surgery.

Matt looked over to Ryan, he breathes out, the man has his head in his hands, his blond hair drifted down his shoulders onto his chest now, Jeremy had just been teasing them about getting hair cuts, “it’s not fair that you two get all of that hair.” 

Matt knew that Ryan had known Jeremy for over ten years now, through his time in the Agency Jeremy and Ryan became a dynamic undefeated duo, according to them, they got close to getting together, the only thing stopping them was the military bureaucracy, but they had one last mission, Jeremy planned on shooting his shot. Then the Agency fell, sweeping away Ryan and Jeremy with it. Ryan had expressed he thought he lost Jeremy once, the experience of the duo being ripped apart impacted Ryan forever; through his experience, the Vagabond was what formed in the weight of Ryan’s anger and heartbreak. The devotion these two shared was something dangerous, something powerful. 

  
  


Matt and Jeremy were best friends. He helped Jeremy search for his battle buddie, best friends on the road, seeking something better, attempting to become something new. They created an image together, Axial and Jerem, two men on a mission of chaos, though a part of Matt always felt like his and Jeremy’s dynamic would always be Jeremy’s attempt to cope with the loss of Ryan. 

Falling in love with Jeremy was an unfortunate mishap on Matt’s part. Matt knew Jeremy loved Ryan, and no matter how close the duo got, Matt figured he’d always come second.

  
  
  
  


Jeremy wore a mask when they joined the fakes, his search for Ryan was getting colder, no sign of the man in nearly four years, Jeremy simply spent his time working, staying with Matt, and for a while, Matt was happy, the domestication of their situation made things easier, it almost filled the hole in Matt’s heart.

Then, in a dire mission Matt was only present for via cameras and comms, Jeremy’s identity was compromised, and Matt watched as the Vagabond ripped his mask off, grabbing Jeremy by the sides of his face, kissing him dramatically.

Matt sighs out again, Ryan is sitting with his head hung low, his hands in his lap, Matt reaches over, moving his hand to Ryan’s.

Ryan takes it and grips it tight.

Matt ended up becoming a bit of a third wheel to the Battle Buddies, he was the only person to see what went down, so Jeremy put a lot of trust into Matt, as did Ryan. It sucked, being forced to keep a secret he didn’t like to begin with, but he dealt with it, Jeremy was happy, that’s what mattered, right?

Suddenly, Geoff felt the need to put Matt on more field work, Geoff knew of Matt’s abilities, and when he was paired with Ryan on an out of state mission, Matt had no choice but to spend time with the one person he wished he could be.

Traveling with Ryan to Alabama was interesting to say the least, they took turns driving, Ryan was surprisingly more laid back than he thought. When Matt drived, Ryan would read quietly, when Ryan drived, Matt would play his switch, and occasionally Ryan would ask him about what he was playing, it turned out Ryan was pretty into dragon ball.

When Matt and Ryan arrived at their dingy motel room, Matt was even more annoyed to find that Geoff and Steffie had fucked up, one king bed sat in the room, and Matt mentally prepared to sleep on the floor.

Matt pulled out his blanket, spreading it out on the floor and Ryan turned to him confused,

“What are you doing?”

Matt turned with a bored face, “getting ready for bed?”

Ryan replied quickly, “why the floor?”

Matt let out an annoyed breath, “it’s one bed man, figured you get seniority or whatever.”

Ryan shakes his head and reaches to grab Matt’s blanket, “just sleep in the bed with me idiot, we need you on your game for this.”

Matt looked at him with momentary surprise, then nodded, “oh-uh, alright- I’ll get ready for bed.”

Ryan nodded, no sooner before Matt could turn around Ryan was stripping to get into his nightwear, and as Matt’s eyes caught sight of Ryan’s muscled, scared form, he wanted nothing more than some Alabama redneck to bust into their room and shoot him.

The lights were out now, the two in the bed. Ryan slept bare chested, while Matt was comfortable in a large hoodie and plaid bottoms.

The clock read 12:03, and for the life of him, Matt couldn’t sleep. Ryan let out a loud huff next to him, and Matt turned to look at him.

“Can’t sleep buddy?”

Ryan sighs, “no-I can’t sleep, if we were home I would have taken something.”

Matt hums in agreement, “same here, I have to take something to help me sleep nowadays.”

Ryan made a noise of acknowledgement, and he stirred under the sheets, quietly, Ryan spoke, “Matt, what was it like traveling with Jeremy?”

Matt looked up at Ryan, despite his glasses being on the nightstand, Ryan’s features were clear, he was being reminiscent, thinking about his partner back home, but with his question, Matt’s mind fell into reminiscence too, a smile washing over his face as he thought about the shorter man back home.

“Well-his car had died somewhere outside of Vermont, I picked him and Scooter up in my van.”

Ryan nodded, an interested look on his face.

“And then he tried to mug me.”

The pair spent the night talking, at first, Jeremy was their common link, retelling stories from their adventures with the man. Eventually it turned to one upping each other, Matt’s wild story of a drug deal in New York, Ryan’s epic about chasing down a ring of killer clowns. This dynamic sparked a competitive drive between the two.

The following morning, the duo suited up for their mission, the competitive spark still remained. They crept into the compound, several of Geoff’s long time enemies from back home sat inside, along with dozens of their men.

The two moved silently, careful to stay out of any prying eyes. Ryan had pulled Matt down a hallway, they crouched, and Ryan looked at Matt with a wicked smile on his face. He whispers to Matt.

“Stealth knife kills only. Most kills win, the loser buys dinner.”

Matt whispers back “What? No way!”

Ryan smirks and whispers back, “Look, it’s easy, watch!”

No sooner a man walks down the hall, Ryan pops up, grabbing the man and slitting his throat with absolute silence surrounding him.

A slew of thoughts came into Matt’s head, ranging from  _ Ryan is insane  _ to  _ Ryan is really hot,  _ but what overcame all of those thoughts was  _ I can totally beat him.  _

Matt stood, whipping out his clean orange blade, and whispered, “You’re on.”

When Matt and Ryan were paired with Jeremy, it was always him who brought some order to the chaos of it all. With just Matt and Ryan, order went out of the window.

Chaos was something Ryan took joy in, the feeling of the unknown. Matt found found chaos comforting, chaos meant being able to build anew, create a future of a different breed, the chaos was something Matt could control.

The duo ripped through the complex, silent slices, blood coating their knives and bodies, Ryan knew he was in the lead as he leaned over his latest kill.

“Freeze!”

Ryan turned suddenly, a man in a dark suit stepped out, a gun trained on Ryan’s head rested in his hands.

“Drop that goddamn knife.”

Ryan turned his head, smirking as the blood covered knife clinked to the floor. He held his hands up, remaining collected.

“Ramsey sent you didn’t he? That fucking bastard, he sent his biggest baddest, the scariest motherfucker who ever roamed the planet. You’re the goddamn Vagabond aren’t ya?”

Ryan’s sarcastic tone flavors his words, “ Guilty as charged.”

“You know-I wonder how Ramsey would feel when I send your body home to him in a bag?”

Ryan laughs, “I’m sure you’d try, but come on, do you really think you can kill me, after all, I’m right behind you.”

The man rolls his eyes, “Bullshit-I’m not turning around for any-“ the man feels a tap on his shoulder, and no sooner is Matt slicing his throat like butter.

Matt laughs as the body lands on the floor. “Looks like I just won!”

Ryan looks, quickly does the math in his head, and yells, “Dammit!”

Matt laughs, and the two walk out of the compound with smiles on their faces.

Ryan and Matt get paired up more often after that, their shared brand of chaos becomes a useful card in the crew’s deck. With this, Matt spends a lot more time with the couple. And Matt couldn’t be happier. They’d cram on Jeremy’s shitty couch and watch awful movies, Ryan would take them out driving through the mountains, the duo would visit Matt’s place to play video games, all and all it was nice. Matt’s crushes never vanished, especially after multiple personal missions with either one of the men, but things were okay, and so was he.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn’t really expressed but Fiona is essentially a platonic partner to the Gav Michael Linds trio. This is also the longest chapter because I had no clue how to split it up.


	3. Stay

Matt felt a squeeze into his palm, Ryan was looking at him, his eyelids low.

“Mm-gonna go grab blankets-n’ a Diet Coke-want one?”

Matt tried to speak but it came out in a weak rasp, “please.”

Ryan nodded and let go of Matt’s hand, he moved down the hall, slowly disappearing out of sight. Matt hoped that he would change, wash up the blood from his skin.

* * *

It was coming up on Matt and Jeremy’s anniversary of joining the crew. Michael had already been yelling about a party for the duo. Matt wanted nothing more to relax at home. Sure, he appreciated the party, but a party meant alcohol and alcohol meant messy Matt & chaotic Jeremy would come out in full force. 

Matt stayed for the party anyways, though he avoided the alcohol, Geoff toasted the two of them in a very Geoff fashion, and then it was on, Jeremy was drinking and Michael was yelling, the music was loud, maybe he had a few shots but that was between him and the burning feeling in his throat. Matt lingered, he’d play rounds of Mario Kart pissing off Jack and Michael in the process, he clinked glasses with Alfredo, he listened to Geoff’s wild stories about him and Jeremy rolling his eyes and refuting the blatantly false bullshit Geoff spout, but eventually, Matt got tired.

He moved to the elevator, pressing the button to send him to the roof. A breath of fresh air would help his head, and he trusted his body to not be drunk enough to fall off the ledge. Stepping out of the elevator, Matt was slapped in the face with the shockingly cold August air, looking out, the smog from the bustle of the city and the glowing lights from downtown were prominent. As Matt looked closer, he noticed a figure, leaning against the railing, smoke from a cigarette lingering above him. 

“Ryan?” Matt walked closer to the figure, seeing Ryan turn around. He looked peaceful, calm even.

“What are you doin up here Matt?” Ryan moved to his pocket, pulling out two cans of Diet Coke, “Want one?”

Matt chuckled at Ryan’s preparedness, “Sure- and uh, I just needed a break from the party I guess.”

Ryan nodded, smirking softly, “How bad did you beat Michael in Mario Kart?”

“Oh, I absolutely demolished him.”

Ryan began to laugh, loud and boisterous, Matt smiled back at him, a feeling of warmth in his chest, maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the bliding crush he had, Matt couldn’t be sure, but in this moment Matt felt so, so good. 

Ryan began to speak again, “Hey Matt-”

Suddenly a ding came from behind them.

“Sup Fu-Fuckers!”

Jeremy stepped out, stumbling from the elevator, he had a can of beer in his hand, his cowboy hat tipped low on his face.

Ryan and Matt looked to Jeremy, then turned to each other, and sighed.

Matt closed his eyes and shook his head, “Hey buddy, you look like you’re having fun.”

Jeremy giggled, he fucking giggled and suddenly that edge was looking nicer and nicer.

“Myatt-Ryee! My favorites!” Jeremy walked forward, putting his arms around the duo and hanging off of them.

Ryan looked to Matt then sighed, “Jeremy dear-how much did you have to drink?”

Jeremy moved away and swung back to look at them, “Mm I had enugh- I was nervouss.”

Matt turned his head, “Nervous about what buddy?”

Ryan face shifted into panic, “We should really get him insid-”

Jeremy yelled out, “Askin you out!”

Matt freezes, Jeremy is collapsed against him, and Ryan is looking at him, red faced, embarrassed and panicked. 

Jeremy is still swaying, but the silence on the roof was deafening.

Matt gently transferred Jeremy to Ryan, and he let out a shaky breath. Ryan went to speak, but no sooner than Jeremy left his arms Matt ran to the stairs, descending down as quick as he could.    
  


* * *

Ryan walked back into the hall, a thick, purple and orange blanket in one arm, two cans in the other. Matt reached for his can, and Ryan went to sit down, slumping against Matt, he mumbled, “Wanna share?” 

Matt nodded, and Ryan spread the blanket over the two of them. Matt looked around, seeing Lindsay, Gavin and Fiona collapsed against each other in an uncomfortable sleep.

Matt leaned up against Ryan, their hands met again, Ryan’s rough thumb grazing against the top of Matt’s hand. 

* * *

  
  
  


Matt hid in his room for the rest of the night, worried looks from Jack and Fiona aside, there was no way in hell he’d come out now. Jeremy was gonna ask him out? He should be ecstatic, any other circumstance this would have been amazing, and yet, it only felt like a punch to the gut. 

Ryan was right there. 

What the fuck was Jeremy thinking, did Jeremy plan on cheating on Ryan, keeping their relationship his little secret. Yeah, sure, Matt loved Jeremy, Jeremy was Matt’s best friend, but Matt loved Ryan too, and no matter the prospect, this was fucked.

Matt threw his blanket off the bed in anger. What the fuck was Jeremy thinking?

  
  


A knock at his door broke Matt out of his momentary anger, he stood up slow, clenching and relaxing his fists as he walked to the door. 

Ryan was looking at him as he opened the door. The first thing Matt noticed was the nervousness on Ryan’s face, his cheeks were flushed and his eyebrows were furrowed; he had clearly changed into pajamas since being on the roof. 

“Uh-Hey Matt.” Ryan was looking down fiddling with his hands.

Matt spoke softly, “What’s up Ry?”

Ryan pursed his lip, moving his hands anxiously, “Can we talk?”

Matt stepped to the side of the door, “Come on in buddy.”

Ryan walked into the dark room, and Matt clicked on an orange light, he moved to sit on the bed, and Ryan followed suit. 

  
  


Ryan breathed, & Matt spoke softly “I hope you know you don’t have to defend him.”

Ryan sighed, “No, I know, he’s not gonna get out of this one easily-he really wasn’t supposed to get that drunk.”

Matt cocked his head, he didn’t understand why Ryan wasn’t more upset with all of this.

Ryan looked up, looking into Matt’s eyes, “Matt, I want to know-how do you feel about Jeremy?”

Matt stopped for a moment, “Well-uh, he’s my best friend, we spent so much time together and we got really close, I love him but uh-“ Matt stopped himself, “you know I don’t like cheaters, what he did was unfair to you Rye-“

Ryan shook his head, “Matt-can I ask you how you feel about me?”

Matt pauses in confusion, “Ryan-honestly, at first you pissed me off, I was jealous ya know? But then we got closer & things started to click, since that mission in Alabama, I really didn't know I could have that much fun, I care about you just as much as I care about Jeremy.”

Ryan nodded his head, he reached for Matt’s hand, all Matt could see was the bright blue in Ryan’s irises, “Matt, Jeremy didn’t say that because he wanted to cheat-we were supposed to ask you out together.”

Suddenly, all of the wires in Matt’s brain tangled, he tried to form words, but nothing would come out-every outcome Matt could have fathomed, this was not one he considered at all.

Ryan looked at him with worry, “Matt-you okay!?”

Matt was dumbfounded, he looked at Ryan, simply staring for a moment, until he broke out into a smile, pulling Ryan into a tight hug.

He mumbled into Ryan’s shoulder, “Yes.”

Ryan smiled, “I’m taking it you’re happy with the outcome?”

Matt nodded, laughing softly, “You have no idea.”

Ryan relaxed into Matt’s touch moving a hand into Matt’s hair, “You should definitely go tell Jeremy, he’s probably still in the tub-WAIT SHIT!”

Matt knew instantly why Ryan yelled, the duo shot out of the hug, tub Jeremy was a drowning incident waiting to happen, & the pair raced to the shorter man’s room.

When Ryan opened the door to Jeremy’s bathroom, Matt’s glasses fogged quickly, Jeremy was sitting in the tub, his face poking out of the hot water.

“Ryyyaaann I fu-fucked it! He’s gonna hate mee!” Jeremy yelled out to the room, Matt shook his head and knelled down next to the lip of the tub,

“I don’t hate you buddy.”

Jeremy looked up, seeing Matt & Ryan above him, & pouted, “I’m so dumb you guys.”

Ryan shook his head “We know that dear.”

Matt laughed, “Don’t worry, Ryan explained everything to me, I’m not upset Jer-“

Jeremy closed his eyes, he shook his head, “Ryan is wayyy too smart, and Matt is so nice-“

Ryan laughed, “Jer-we’re literally right here-“

Jeremy sunk down, “‘Mmm let me wallow in the sadness valley.”

Jeremy sunk lower into the water, & without hesitation, Ryan pulled the stopper out of the tub.

Jeremy groaned out, & Matt shook his head, “Let’s get you into bed.”

Ryan and Matt worked as a pretty good unit, putting the drunk man in a tank top and boxers and getting him in his large bed, Jeremy tried to fight it along the way, drunken compliments and horrible punches thrown at the both of them, but by the time Jeremy hit the pillow, he was out cold.

Ryan and Matt sat on the bed, partially wet from dealing with the water, tired from the emotional whiplash and party fatigue. It was Matt who crashed next to Jeremy first, and then Ryan mumbled quietly, “You’ll stay, right?”

Matt took a moment, he looked at the smaller sleeping man next to him, he looked to Ryan across from him, that feeling of joy swelled in his heart, unlike anything before, in this moment, Matt felt entirely content. 

“I’ll stay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Past Ryan picking up for Jeremy's drunken mistakes is a common theme, I also want to drive home that it's not just Ryan and   
> Matt's shared love for Jeremy that makes the relationship, Matt and Ryan love each other and work well together too.


	4. Run

Matt felt a nudging on his shoulder, he groaned out, feeling a dull pain in his lower back. He opened his eyes slowly, seeing the same hallway he’s been in for hours now.

“Hey sleepyhead-“ he turns to see Jack crouched in front of him, she’s wearing a tee shirt now, bloodstains no longer apparent, “how are you feeling.”

Matt makes a whining noise as he tries to stretch out, “Not all that great.”

Ryan shifted next to him, his eyes opening slowly as he pulled the blanket close to him.

Jack gave Ryan a small smile, “Sarah called me, asked Geoff and I to wake you guys, Gav, Lindsay & Fiona up, she said her & Steffie would come out with news.”

That got Matt’s attention quickly, he sat up in his chair; they’d get news about Jeremy’s condition.

Ryan pulled the blanket to the side, putting it in another chair to keep it out of the way, and Jack sat to the other side of Ryan.

The trio waited for a good five minutes, anxiously wringing their hands and staring down the doors to where Sarah would walk out.

The doors pushed open, Sarah & Steffie stepping out, splitting to talk to the two groups, Matt & Ryan stood up, staring Sarah down.

Matt noticed a few things, her scrubs had splatters of blood, her normally well kept pulled back hair was frazzled, she had a furrowed brow, her breathing was heavier than normal.

Bad news.

Ryan spoke suddenly, “Sarah. How is he?”

Sarah opened her mouth to speak, but blew out air instead, she regained her composure and begun, “Jeremy was shot in the leg, the shot hit a major artery, he lost a substantial amount of blood, Matt’s patch job with his jacket prevented it from being worse.”

Jack & Ryan glanced at Matt for a moment but Matt stared straight at Sarah, “Sarah. Is Jeremy okay?”

Sarah cringed and signed, “We were able to rebuild the artery, and we had plenty of blood on reserve but,” she paused suddenly.

Ryan moved forward, “But what Sarah?”

Sarah cringed, “His heart stopped while we were operating.”

Matt felt his knees going weak, he clung to Ryan’s arm.

Sarah’s eyes were wide open, a sad expression on her face, “He was our for some time. We got his heart started back up, he’s stable at least, but we don’t know if he’s going to wake up.”

Jack whispered out, “if?”

Ryan whipped around to Jack suddenly, “He’ll wake up.”

Matt whispers next to him, “He has to wake up.”

Sarah’s head hung low, she mumbled out, “I’m sorry-I wish I had better news. “

Ryan shakes his head, “You did your job Weems, that’s all we ask of you.”

She nodded, “You three are welcome to see him if you’d like.”

Matt nodded slowly.

Jack spoke again, “How about Michael? How’s he?”

Matt felt bad, realizing he forgot about Michael in the moment.

Sarah sighed, “Steffie is briefing Lindsay, Gav, Geoff & Fiona, but Michael was clipped in the back, it went through in such an obscure angle, broken ribs & a punctured lung, we’re also not entirely sure how Michael’s walking ability will be affected-he might be out of commission for some time.”

Jack cringed, Matt nodded, Ryan’s face remained blank.

Sarah spoke again, “I’ll leave you three to handle things, you can visit Jeremy or Michael at any time, just be careful.”

Sarah walked back, looking to meet up with Steffie.

Jack looked to Ryan, “I’m going to go check on Geoff, I imagine you two are going to see Jeremy, but make sure you get some rest tonight, please.” Ryan gave her a small nod, and walked off.

Ryan turned to Matt slowly, and Matt mumbled, “She-she said if.”

Ryan reached for Matt’s hand, “Lets go see him, okay?”

Matt nodded slowly, letting Ryan lead him to Jeremy’s room.

* * *

  
  
  


Ryan prepared himself, he had to, Matt looked dazed, lost in a neverending rampage of thoughts, he had to be the emotional support here.

He isn’t good with emotions.

Ryan took in a deep breath, Jeremy has gotten hurt before, heists gone wrong where he was shot at by cops, rival gangs trying to get in a kill to damage the crew, they’ve been attacked by international mallitias and hitmen for God's sake, Jeremy would come out of this.

They made it to his room, he could hear two sets of footsteps behind them, Lindsay and Gavin no doubt. Ryan stood at the door, Matt next to him. Lindsay walked past, and he gave her a small nod, Gavin however didn’t bother to look up at them, his expression was cold, his eyes lying straight ahead. 

Matt turned to him, “Ready?” he asked quietly.

Ryan nodded, grabbing the cold metal handle, “Ready.”

* * *

  
  


The first thing Matt heard was the steady beating of a heart monitor. Looking up, his eyes were overwhelmed, Jeremy was attached to copious amounts of wires, and given by the tube in his throat, he wasn’t able to breathe on his own. 

Ryan cringed next to him, he always hated hospitals, and Matt squeezed his hand tight.

Ryan spoke slowly, “This is reality, isn’t it?”

Matt nodded, “He’s really-”   
  


Matt didn’t want to say it. He was so used to Jeremy, bright eyes and a big smile, moving around faster than just about anyone in the crew. Matt wanted him to pop up, start taking,  _ do something- _

Jeremy lied there, stationary and stiff, the sounds of his machine the only indication that he was alive.

Matt turned, Ryan’s eyes were glazed over, like he was frozen in place.

Matt turned, and he ran.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe it’s because I relate to Matt a lot but I have a plan for how his thought process & mental state will go here. 
> 
> I want to mention, you’ll notice there’s an not a major character death tag, though I won’t kill anyone, at one time, this would have been where Jeremy died.


	5. Fear

Running-fucking running, why the hell was he running?

Matt’s feet carried him far, getting close to his room in the penthouse before he collapsed on his knees, his throat felt tight, gasping for air as he coughed.

The only noise being his desperate attempt for air, Matt’s brain was rotten with anxiety.

The reality right now was Jeremy was in a coma, his best friend was in a coma, he could die and Matt would never get to say goodbye.

Matt’s eyes were growing wider, tears spilling out without hesitation, his hands moved to his throat desperate for air. Spots were starting to appear in his vision as he curled further in on himself.

He wanted it to stop-he wanted the fear to stop- the pain to stop.

* * *

Fiona had been in the crew for a little under a year now, she loved these guys. Her & Gavin had gotten to be good friends, as with her & Lindsay. Jack sort of adopted her as her daughter in a way. 

This was the first time she experienced someone getting hurt this bad.

Of course, her first instinct was to check on Gav and Lindsay, Michael was like an older brother to her after all, but in the back of her mind, she thought about Matt.

Her & Matt had gotten extremely close over her time in the crew, spending time working with the man was something she enjoyed, he was often her direct route of communications for hits in her job as a snipers. Herself, Jack, and Matt were often a trio because of their vast experience & unsuspecting demeanor.

She knew Matt had some bad anxiety, constantly using any means to protect the crew. On a particular mission, he attempted to jump in front of Jack to prevent her from getting shot, luckily the man’s gun was unloaded, but everyone knew fully well that he had no body armor; he would have died in an instant.

Any time Matt attempted to be over protective, any time Matt began to show self sacrificial tendencies, he got an earful from Geoff or Trevor, even Ryan & Jeremy had gotten on his case.

Matt was a good guy, Fiona recognized this almost instantly.

Fiona was laying in bed now, she expected things to be quiet, Jack, Geoff, Trevor & Alfredo we’re working, Gavin & Lindsay were with Michael, Matt & Ryan were with Jeremy.

Her eyes drifted shut, she was used to blood, of course she was, but she knew the bodies that fell were more than just bodies, they were her crew, no matter how desperately she looked for the snipers from atop of her own position, she didn’t do her job, he didn’t protect them.

Faintly, Fiona thought she heard something, like repeat gasps for air. She ignored it at first, but suddenly, the gasps got louder, following them was violent desperate coughs.

Suddenly one person came to mine, she shot up from her bed, and ran into the hall.

* * *

  
  
  


_ Matt-MATT! _

Matt’s vision came back to him in segments, blurred and pained, his entire body hurt.

_ Matt, look at me man come on! _

Matt blinked trying his best to focus on the person in front of him, he moved his hand to cough again, “Fiona?”

Fiona nodded her head slowly, “Yeah it’s me”

Matt was shaking violently, Fiona put her hands on his shoulders gently, “Come on, you should probably lay down.”

She stood, reaching out to Matt & he took her hands, she lead him to her room carefully, getting him to sit on the bed.

Fiona walked to the other side of the bed, reaching into her mini fridge to pull out a cold bottle of water, walking around she handed it to Matt & sat down next to him.

“Matt, buddy, what happened?”

Matt froze, holding the water bottle in his hands weakly, he stared at his lap, blinking slowly, “I uh-I think I had an anxiety attack?”

Fiona nodded, slowly moved to slink her arm around Matt’s waist. “Do you wanna talk about it, or do you wanna rest?”

Matt leaned into her touch, relaxing his shoulders slightly, “I uh-” Matt paused, trying to gather his thoughts, and yet nothing came.

Fiona looked up at him, “I think you should rest buddy, you can lay in here for now if you want, I’ll hang out in the living room.”

Matt nodded in agreement.

Fiona stood up, moving to shut her blinds, “I’ll keep the reasoning on the down low, but I’ll let the guys know where you are if you need anything, and I’ll be right down the hall.”

Matt moved to kick off his shoes, Fiona made her way too the door, gave Matt one last smile, and then left.

* * *

  
  
  


_ From: SuperNova at 11:25 pm _

_ Hey Ry-Matt’s in my room, _

_ he wasn’t doing too great when I found him, _

_ so I’m letting him rest. _

_ I hope you’re doing okay, _

_ If you need anything, just ask. _

Ryan set his phone down gently on the bedside table. As much as he wanted to chase after Matt, he couldn’t find the strength. Seeing Jeremy like that, Ryan couldn’t bear to leave his side. 

Ryan could feel exhaustion setting in, as the night went on, Jeremy’s machines were the only sound in the room, he couldn’t bare to talk to him yet, so Ryan sat and held his hand instead. 

Jeremy would get through this.

Ryan thought back for a moment, thinking of all of the times Jeremy got hurt in the field, broken bones, bullets and blood.

It was nothing like this.

The concept of Jeremy’s heart just stopping is what terrified Ryan the most. The heart gives out for a lot of reasons, the stress from everything Jeremy has done over the years no doubt weighs heavily on him; Jeremy is young, he’s spry, his heart giving out before 30 is a terrifying reality.

He was grateful for Sarah and her team, being able to bring him back from the brink of death.

He had already lost Jeremy once.

Ryan couldn’t bear to lose him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Matt had a genuine anxiety attack followed by some disassociation this chapter, I apologize if this isn't the best representation of it, however I write based on my own experience/research, and this is pretty equivalent to how my attacks go. 
> 
> Ryan's cold logical yet fearful nature will be further dissected in later chapters
> 
> Fiona is the one who put her contact as SuperNova


	6. Hey Asshole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after, cold reality

Matt woke up to a light, gold and bright shining in his eyes. He squinted at the light, as it peaked through the thick, dark, blinds.

Matt sat up, in his blurry vision, he noticed colors, yellows, pinks and blues, Matt’s head snapped around wildly, searching for his glasses, he felt around on the black night stand and felt them against his fingertips. 

Matt moved them to his face, pushing his hair back away from his eyes.

“Ugh-what the fuck..”

This wasn’t his room, the colors and the vanity against the back wall made that clear. 

This was Fiona’s room.

Last night wasn’t a dream.

Matt flopped back down onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling, despite just waking up, Matt’s entire body felt exhausted. 

Matt remembered running-he remembered Fiona's calming voice-he-

He remembered Jeremy-

Jeremy.

Matt felt his heartbeat rise in his chest, Jeremy was still in a hospital bed, he ran from Ryan.

Fuck.

Matt sat up again, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, he pushed his glasses up, and put his face in his hands. Images of Jeremy’s body in the hospital bed formed in his mind, shifting to the puddle of Jeremy and Michael’s blood on the street, to their bodies on the concrete. 

Matt’s shoulders began to shake, his breathing getting more ragged as the visions crossed his mind. 

Matt heard a quiet knock at the door, and Matt let out a weak “Yeah?”

Opening the door, he saw Fiona, clad in slippers, a hoodie, and shorts step into the room, she had two large mugs in her hand, steam rising from the both of them.

“Hey man-” Fiona walked closer, Matt pulled his hands away from his face and moved his glasses down slowly.

Matt shrank, speaking quietly, “Sorry- I didn’t mean to steal your room.”

Fiona shook her head, “Matt dude- it’s fine. Here-” she held out one of the mugs, “remember when Jack taught me how you took your coffee?”

A small smile came to Matt’s face, “4 sugars and just a little milk- she calls it ‘freaks coffee’.”

Fiona sat down on the bead next to him, taking a small sip, “Yup, still don’t understand how you drink it- but still.”

Matt shook his head, “Whatever Ms. “My coffee must be blacker than the night sky.”

Fiona elbowed him, “Whatever asshole, drink your sugar juice before it gets cold.”

Matt shrugged his shoulders, taking a moment to relax and take a sip of his drink. Fiona leaned her head gently on his shoulder, “How are you holding up?”

Matt sighed, “I uh-I don’t really know, when I uh-” Matt took a shaky breath, raising his mug to take a small sip, “Whenever I think about it-I just see him being shot and I see him in the bed-and it’s like I can’t breathe.”

Fiona moved her hand around his waist, “I went and checked on them this morning, Michael’s been waking up and passing out pretty often, Jeremy’s well-not much has changed, Ryan spent the night but I sent him to bed.”

Matt cringed, “I feel like a piece of shit for leaving him.”

Fiona shook her head, “I told him what happened Matt, you couldn’t be in there, it’s okay.” Matt only groaned in response. 

Fiona sat up, rising from his shoulder, “Matt, listen-” Matt turned to her, “You know you can’t keep eating yourself up over this right? You’re gonna eat yourself alive if you keep blaming yourself. It’s okay to be upset, it’s okay to worry, but you can’t blame yourself and mourn someone who isn’t even dead.”

Matt tried to find a reason to argue, but he couldn’t-Jeremy wasn’t dead, he wasn’t the one who got him hurt. It hurt, it was terrifying, this entire situation was Matt’s worst nightmare. 

Matt knew he wasn’t the only person hurting right now.

Matt sighed, “Ya know-it’s unfair how wise you are for how young you are.”

Fiona chuckled, “I’m wise beyond my years Matthew, I’m the most sensible fucker around here.”

Matt let out a small laugh and cough, “Whatever asshole.”

* * *

Matt made his way down to the infirmary wing, the cup of coffee in his hands had gone cold, and yet he held onto it anyways, taking occasional sips of the cold liquid. The sun was shining bright, outside, people were walking the streets and driving to whatever destination, watching from above, it looked so, so normal. 

As Matt walked, he heard footsteps behind him, and turning he saw Ryan making his way towards him.

Shit.

Matt stopped his track, Ryan’s expression was blank, his eyes looked tired, his stride seemed weak. Matt opened his mouth, trying to explain himself in a panic, his brain turning to goo as Ryan rushed forward.

Matt closed his eyes, cringed, preparing for the worst.

A pair of arms swung around him, Ryan’s head pressed into Matt’s shoulder and neck.

Matt relaxes into Ryan’s touch, he moves his unoccupied arm to rub Ryan’s back. Ryan mumbled into Matt’s neck, “You okay?”

Matt nodded, “I’m okay Ry, Fiona took good care of me-” Matt sucked in a breath, “are you okay hun?”

Ryan sucked in a crippled breath in response, a weak sob releasing from his throat.”

Matt slowly lowered them to the floor, Ryan continued to shake as they made it to the tile floor, he set the cold coffee cup aside, and let Ryan collapse into him.

On the outside, things looked normal. The sun was shining, the Earth was spinning, and yet Matt nor Ryan had the power to get up off of the cold tile floor. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look man, I love Fiona and Matt dynamics and I wanted to give Ryan a completely silent grief moment. Heavily inspired by the Watsky song of the same name as the title.


	7. All Apologies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Ryan finally visit Jeremy together, a flame is sparked in Matt.

For a while, Matt and Ryan spent their time on the hallway floor. When Ryan attempted to speak, only raspy sobs came out instead. Matt wasn’t used to seeing Ryan this vulnerable, whenever things got rough, and emotions were high, it was Jeremy who talked the two of them into some form of calmness and peace.

For now, Matt just held Ryan close, feeling the weight of Ryan’s body was a familiar comfort Matt had learned to love, but the desperation in the arms clinging around him soured that comfort strongly.

Ryan pulled up suddenly, looking into Matt’s eyes, the blue of Ryan’s irises felt dull surrounded by the pained red in the whites of his eyes. 

“I’m-” Ryan rasped out, “I-I’m sorry-”

Matt shook his head, moving his hand to the back of Ryan’s messy pulled back hair. “You’re okay Ryan-I’m-” Matt sighed, tilting his head down to take a breath, “I’m sorry for leaving you alone.”

Ryan nodded, slowly he closed his eyes, lowering his head to meet Matt at his forehead, he gently rested his head against Matt’s, “Can we go see him?”

Matt rubbed his hand against Ryan’s neck, relaxing against Ryan’s skin, “Yeah-Lets go see him.”

  
  


* * *

Jeremy was as still as he was yesterday. Matt noticed the chair pulled close to his hospital bed, and the purple and orange blanket he and Ryan had used the day prior draped over him. Ryan grabbed the other chair against the wall and pulled it close to the bed. Matt sat down gently, Ryan sitting in the chair next to him.

Matt went to grab Jeremy’s limp hand, “He looks a lot less pale-”

Ryan nodded, his hand moving to Jeremy’s head, “His head is cold-and stubbly-”

Matt shook his head, “Next time I go back to my room, I’ll bring him one of my beanies.”

Ryan nodded again slowly, his hand absentmindedly moving back and forth against Jeremy’s stubble. 

The silence for the next while was deafening, Matt couldn’t register anything past the subtle drip of Jeremy’s IVs and the beeping of his heart monitor.

A knock at the door brought the two out of their silent stupor, Geoff cracked the door open slowly, his hair standing up wildly, dark grey sweatpants and a big black Queen tee shirt hanging off of us shoulders.

Geoff’s face remained neutral, “Hey you guys-“

Ryan nodded to him, Matt gave him a tiny wave.

Geoff signed, “I get if you two aren’t up for it, but uh-we need to have a meeting.”

Ryan sighed, “What for Geoff?”

Geoff gave Ryan a pained look, “We have info, this can lead to whoever-“ Geoff’s face shifted into sadness as his eyes shifted to Jeremy, “caused this.”

Ryan stood up, but Matt held onto Jeremy’s hand for a moment longer, staring down at his peaceful face.

At this moment, knowing he could find out exactly who did this outweighed any other convictions he had. This wasn’t for him. It was for Michael, it was for Jeremy. This was his chance. 

_Revenge. You can get revenge._

He pulled his hand away from Jeremy’s slowly, gracing his fingertips against Jeremy’s bruised knuckles one last time.

“Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter to fill the gap. Let me tell you. Especially after working on an analysis of Go Nitro for school, I *love* revenge plots


	8. It Will Come Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A meeting is had, tensions are high.

The meeting room was stiff, Geoff and Trevor standing in front of a large screen. The table in front of them had several figures sitting around it. Jack sat back in her chair, her face showed composure, Alfredo was sitting quietly, fiddling with a stress ball against the hardwood, Lindsay sat furthest back, she looked exhausted, but her eyes bore a resemblance of rage Matt recognized as her husband’s, Fiona was sitting back in her chair, a degree of relaxation no one else appeared to have, finally, Gavin sat hunched in his chair, the laptop in front of his face radiated light onto his exhausted face, Gavin was focused, Gavin was angry.

Ryan gave Matt a small nod, moving to sit next to Jack, she waved to him and gave him a small smile. Matt moved to the other side of Gavin, interested in what he was working on. Walking by, he noticed the methodical clicks and the changing of frames from Gavin’s trackpad and monitor; Gavin was looking at footage. 

Geoff knocked on the wooden table twice, calling the group to attention; “Alright-let's get this started.”

The screen behind him lit up, a still of the Maze Bank capturing their attention. 

Trevor spoke confidently, “All of you know what this is, we all know what happened here, we have no reason to dwell on it right now, however what is important is figuring out who managed to hurt our own.”

Geoff nodded, “We know this move was calculated, both Jack and Matt were ambushed prior to the events at the bank, while Matt escaped successfully, Jack was still injured in the process, Michael and Jeremy were not their only targets.”

From across the table, Matt saw Jack swallow the lump in her throat and he couldn’t help but cringe at Geoff’s statement.

Geoff continued, “Additionally, despite camera views from nearly every angle on that block, and two of our best shots, we were unable to locate just where they came from.”

Alfredo nodded, speaking up, “Fiona and I were stationed at opposite parts of the block just for this reason, we had eyes on damn near everything between us, and yet despite knowing where the shots came from, we didn’t see shit.”

Fiona sighed, “How the hell they got away in broad daylight almost seems impossible.”

Geoff nodded, “That’s a whole nother problem. Matt, when you got away, you killed two of those bastards with your car. Attempting to retrace any records for the two post mortem was a lost cause. They didn’t even end up in the Los Santos morgue. We even had Larry take blood samples from your car to test in the database.”

Ryan raised an eyebrow, “And? Did you find anything?”

Geoff sighed, “No.”

Ryan threw his hands up, “So you’re telling me we have an untraceable group of killers with a vendetta against us? Tell me again how you ‘found something’?”

Gavin scoffed angrily, “Give him a damn minute Ryan.”

Ryan gave Gavin a solid glare, one he took in stride; Geoff sighed and continued, “It appeared we found nothing, that’s what we thought at first, that was until we got lucky.”

Trevor nodded, the screen switched to photographs of bullets, impacted and bloody, along with two modified sub machine guns. “After Jack was patched up, I requested Sarah and the med team that they save all residual bullets and shrapnel to be analyzed, we were able to recover a bullet from Jeremy as well. Along with calling in a favor with the Los Santos Police evidence locker, both weaponry and additional bullet casings along with the recovered shrapnel were delivered to Jarran to analyze.”

Lindsay nodded, “And what were the results?”

Geoff shook his head, “They all derive from the same source,” Geoff paused, and ran his hands through his hair, “These were all military grade weapons.”

The room stilled, eyes drifted between Ryan, Gavin, Alfredo and Geoff. 

Jack sighed, “What can we rule out?”

Trevor pointed, “It was American made weaponry, when it comes to special forces in the UK they manufacture their own goods.”

Gavin sighed a small breath of relief.

Geoff spoke again, “For better or worse, most of my demons with the military are dead now, there’s a sophistication to these weapons my guys couldn’t dream of having.”

Alfredo sighed, “My-My old group still thinks I’m dead, if they were going to go after someone, it would be me.”

All eyes drifted to Ryan, nervous stares from all around the table. Ryan clenched his fists hard, an uneasy shake in his form, “The Agency is our only suspect, isn’t it?”

Geoff nodded, “Even though The Agency split, that doesn’t mean they aren’t still out there, you and Jeremy didn’t die for a reason, whatever fucked up game they’re trying to play may be, I think they just took the next move.”

Suddenly, Gavin slammed his hand against the table, “This is a Jeremy and Ryan issue, isn’t it, they’re the ones who signed up for that psychotic science experiment of a government agency, this just makes the rest of us collateral!”

The outburst sent out a wave of unrest, Ryan rose in his seat in anger, “So him and I should just deal with it ourselves then! I’ll be fucking sure to brief Jeremy when he gets out of his coma!”

Gavin opened his mouth to refute, but Ryan moved anyways, his chair flying back out into the wall as he stomped out of the room.

Geoff signed in frustration, shaking as he tried to hold in his anger, “For now. The crew is on lockdown, no one in, no one out, the B team will continue their investigation. When we get more info, we will come up with a plan, that’s all we can do for now.”

Trevor’s face shifted into unease, “Everyone’s dismissed.”

A moment of nervous glaces, then everyone began to rise out of their chairs and vacate the room. Matt sat back, processing the suckerpunch of information he had just recieved. Going after Ryan while he was angry was idiotic, Matt knew better than to push him now. Gavin still sat next to him, slowly, he shut his laptop and turned.

“Matthew, do you mind coming with me for a moment?”

Gavin removed his sunglasses, the expression on his face showed anger, his eyes burned bright with passion.

“We need to have a chat.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cranked this one out surprisingly fast, it just felt right.


	9. Hidden Risk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Gavin have a meeting. Matt takes a risk.

Gavin’s room was cold and minimalistic.

Matt sat back in a big, white loveseat, the lights in Gavin’s room are usually low, if it weren’t for the anxiety he was feeling waiting for Gavin to return, he could probably fall asleep in here.

After the meeting, Ryan had pulled Matt aside, a weak mumbled “I’ll be with Jeremy-” and a small hug. Matt sighed, if the Agency was truly involved, this would be a mess. Matt knew bits and pieces of their lives at the Agency, but Matt never knew the gritty details. Some nights, Jeremy would wake up screaming, or Ryan would wake up punching; the two of them would help each other, Matt felt like it wasn’t his place.

The large, dark door of Gavin’s room opened out, Matt squinted as the light of the hallway filled the room. Gavin walked in, shutting the door quickly as he moved towards his desk.

Matt looked Gavin up and down quickly. Though Gavin’s persona in the crew was often bright and bumbling, Gavin away from the action was much more collected. Gavin was wearing a hoodie, the edges were frayed and the print was faded, he was wearing an old pair of shorts, his sunglasses and jewelry were long put away. Gavin’s hair was flat, its usual quaft lost to low maintenance, the bags around his eyes were dark and sunken. Gavin’s eyes were sad.

Sitting down in his desk chair, Gavin turned to Matt.

“Thank you for coming Matt.”

Matt nodded, “I figured whatever it was, it was important.”

Gavin gave a small nod, “I think it’s important, but uh-first-“ Gavin paused for a moment his shoulders sunk a little bit, “I’m sorry for what I said back there during the meeting, a bit of in the moment anger I think;”

Matt sighed, “I’m not upset, but I think you definitely owe Ryan an apology.”

Gavin looked down at the floor in disappointment, “You’re right. I’ll catch him later.”

A moment of silence passed, before Gavin started again, “Now-I did call you here for a reason.” 

Gavin leaned back, reaching for a remote. Grabbing it tight, he presses a large red button, & across the room a TV rotated out.

Gavin turned back to Matt, and sighed, “I chose to share this with you solely because I trust you Matt, this is one hacker to another here, telling everyone else would bring fire & distraction and a whole lot of bitterness, that’s the last thing we want.”

Matt’s head turned, “You’re trying to avoid publicity?”

Gavin nodded, “Think ‘bout it, we go in guns blazing, the media finds out just why we did this, and it gets out further that Michael & Jeremy were injured badly, for all the police know we all got out and they’re fine. I scoured the Internet, footage, everything, I can’t find them getting shot on film.”

Matt sat up, “So the only people who know what’s going on is the Agency and us?”

Gavin nodded, “Correct, in fact, I encountered a big problem when I was looking for footage; there was damn near none.”

Matt put his hands on his knees, “Seriously, there’s cameras everywhere!”

Gavin sighed, “I know, but going through brought a lot of disabled cameras. And ones that were on were literally turned away from where they should be-“

“It was set up that way-wasn’t it?” Matt asked.

“That’s what I’d have to guess.” Gavin nodded

“Jesus Christ-“ Matt groaned

“But-“ Gavin turned back to TV, clicking to a blurry, black & white still, “I found one of the shop owners had a camera pointing to Jack’s alley. It took some hacking, but watching the footage back, I found something interesting.”

Matt turned to the TV as Gavin pressed play.

For some time, the alley was as still as ever, the occasional civilian walked past, traffic was shockingly show even. 

Matt watched carefully, waiting for anything out of normal merit. 

As the footage ran, Matt, sank, had Gavin noticed something he missed?

Not a moment sooner, Matt watched a moving moving van pull into view, turning into the alley precisely. Matt continued to watch, seeing several men get out, carefully sliding out the back. A few of them paced, talking amongst themselves, checking their watches, checking their guns, then the moving truck began to rumble again, and Matt watched as the men backed against the brick walls to let the truck pull away safely.

Matt went to turn back to Gavin-

“No! Keep watching this!”

Matt turned back, staring down the men as they moved closer together. One by one, they stuck out their wrists, their watches began to glow.

They vanished.

Matt turned to Gavin suddenly, “What the fuck was that!?”

Gavin spun to face him, “That’s the thing Matt-I don’t have a damn clue what that was-“

Matt shook his head, “Invisibility that was some video game level invisibility shit!”

Gavin nodded, “Which is why you and Jack got scared shitless by them when they appeared.”

Matt Ryan his hand down his face, “What the fuck man-“

Gavin sighed, “From what Ryan and Jeremy said, the Agency was a highly experimental branch of some sort of initiative. Those two had their hands on some experimental ass weapons back in the day.”

Matt groaned, “How much shit do we not know about these fuckers?”

Gavin sighed, “The thing is-I ran checks on the faces, enhancement tech helped a bunch, but so many of them wound up blank-‘cept for one.”

Gavin presses a button on the remote, clicking to an image of a ginger man.

“His name is Chad James, he’s from Dallas, Texas.” Gavin turned back to Matt, “Background checks show he graduated high school, and went straight into the military. He stayed with the marine core for several years, before getting transferred to a base outside of Austin, then his record goes blank.”

Matt shook his head, “Ryan and Jeremy were stationed in Austin.”

Gavin nodded, “I’m thinking this guy knows that those two are with us, Whatever it is, it’s personal.”

Matt swallowed, “Well, what do we do?”

Gavin sighed out, “I was able to track the truck by camera for quite some time, but I lost it as we got into the woods-Given the property out there, I could easily get someone in the B-Team to scout out the area and locate them, but-“ 

Gavin paused suddenly, his face souring in frustration, “Not only would it tip off Geoff & Trevor, but it would put the B-Team and more of the crew in danger, if anything, right now Ryan is at the biggest risk.”

Matt froze when he heard Ryan’s name. Ryan being at risk-Matt wanted to pretend that wasn’t even a possibility, Ryan was the Vagabond for god’s sake-but if they took Jeremy down so efficiently-

Matt stood up, “I’m not letting anyone else get hurt Gavin!”

Gavin sighed, he stood up as well, walking closer into Matt’s space.

“I know that you idiot-I don’t want to risk anyone else getting harmed.”

Gavin paused, his eyes burned with fierce intentions “Which is why I want you and I to go.”

Matt’s eyes went wide, “You and me?”

Gavin smiled fiercely, “That’s right Matt, I know your stealth skills, you know mine, between the two of us, we have the ability to scope out the place, handle the pricks who hurt our boys, and get out of there.” Gavin stuck his hand out, stiff & firm for a handshake: “C’mon Matt- will ya do it?”

Matt froze.

Jeremy was laying in a hospital bed. Jeremy was fighting for his life in a coma. Michael was laying in a hospital bed. Michael might not walk again.

Deep in Matt’s heart, his blood was boiling with after, overflowing with fear. He thought about the crew, how much danger they were all now that the Agency had a hold on them. 

Matt’s mind turned to Ryan. Matt knew he was in no condition for this kind of fight. If the Agency was hunting them down, Ryan was their next target.

Ryan couldn’t get hurt.

The crew cannot get hurt.

They couldn’t risk it.

They couldn’t know.

Matt stuck out his hand, giving Gavin a firm handshake.

“I’m in.” Matt spoke confidently.

Gavin smiled, “Then let’s get to work.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Military grudges & science fiction? What is this, RvB?

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by the song of the same title Light Behind Your Eyes by My Chemical Romance. I meant this to me much shorter and posted to Tumblr but here we are.


End file.
